page_title: Demographics of Belarus
section_title: After the Second World War
hierarchical_section_title: Demographics of Belarus / Ethnic groups / After the Second World War
caption_attribution_description: Polish minority in Belarus based on the Soviet Census of 1959. In total the census counted 538.881 ethnic Poles in Belarus (332.300 in Grodno Region, 83.800 in Vitebsk Region, 70.000 in Minsk Region including the city of Minsk, 42.100 in Brest Region, 7.200 in Gomel Region and 3.500 in Mogilev Region). Legend: &#160;&#160;Over 50% Polish &#160;&#160;40-50% &#160;&#160;30-40% &#160;&#160;10-30% &#160;&#160;Up to 10% Polish &#160;&#160;Border of Poland in 1939
context_page_description: The demographics of Belarus is about the demographic features of the population of Belarus, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.
context_section_description: The Holocaust decimated the Jewish population in Belarus, and after World War II, in 1959, Jews accounted for only 1.9% of the population. Since then, Jewish emigration to Israel and other countries reduced the number of Jews to 0.1% of the population (13,000 in 2009).
  After the war, a large number of Poles were forced to move to Poland. In exchange, Belarusians from the former Belastok Voblast, which was returned to Poland in 1945, after being occupied in 1939 were displaced to Belarus. Due to changes in the western border of Belarus and Poland after World War II (see territorial changes of Poland), the number of Poles in Belarus increased to more than 500,000 according to the first post-war census (1959) and to about 400,000 according to the 1999 census. Poles are now the third largest ethnic group in Belarus (see Polish minority in Belarus). There are around 15,000 of Lipka Tatars and about 10,000 of Ruska Roma (Russian Gypsies).
  In the post-war period Belarus experienced an influx of workers from other parts of the Soviet Union, for example Russians and Ukrainians. The decade after independence saw a decline in the population of most of these minority groups, either by assimilation or emigration. The most significant exception to this trend has been a continued (if small-scale) net immigration of Armenians and Azeris, whose numbers increased from less than 2,000 in 1959 to around 10,000 in 1999.
caption: Polish minority districts in 1960:   Over 50% Polish   40-50%   30-40%   10-30%   Up to 10% Polish   Border of Poland in 1939
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